>> the total number of hostages is unclear, a senior official says united states citizens were taken, as well, into activity. >> in order to protect their safety i will not get into numbers or films. >> 20 militants approached the oil workers armed and driving in three unmarked vehicles. the workers were on a bus headed to an airport. fighting erupted between the workers and the militants and one phone worker was killed and others wounded. the terrorist then headed to the compound where the gas refinery workers live along with the americans, the mill -- militanted kid named french and japanese and other workers. they are linked to a series of kidnapping of foreign nationals for ransom in north africa. this was in retaliation for the

french led investigation in mali trying to stop al qaeda group from taking over the nation. >> officials believe the attack was too well organized to have been plans after the french invasion. reporting live in washington for abc7 news. >> there is a long history with france and algeria and in north africa. >> guess what? another "spare the air" today. >> and more frost on the roof. >> 26 degrees, and enjoy down to 25 degrees, the coldest all week, but just for a second. >> radar this morning showing how clear it is out there and how dry it is. we thank you for not burning wood because we have not exceeded standards so everyone

is listening. the poor air quality could be in the east bay be the north bay and the central coast. also, the central bay. do not burn, please. >> we have smooth conditions to the bay bridge toll plaza, no metering. it is smooth. from 880 and 580 and from 80 eastbound direction it is clear with in problems. just road work eastbound dumbarton bridge until 6:00 this morning. kristen and eric? >> thank you, sue at 5:03. sue will be able to use the online review site yelp to find out more than whether the food is good, you will find out if it is hazardous to your health. our reporter has more on the problem to be announced by the mayor today. >> good morning, eric.

there are 3,500 restaurants in san francisco, believe it or not, and many like sparky here in castro on church street is a favorite but finding a restaurant can be a challenge, a good restaurant. many log on to sites like yelp to make it easier and you can tell how clean and safe a restaurant is. yelp is partnering with san francisco's health department to provide inspection information for the public. it is all in the name of transparency and food safety. many customers love it. >> we want to know it is place has a bad health rating. >> if you go somewhere and it is gross...you don't go there. there are enough places to go you can make your own decision. >> she is not wild about it and

prefers to go on first impression. the mayor will announce the partnership with yelp later today at a news conference in washington, dc, where he is attending the conference of mayors. it will be online first and san francisco leading of way the first city in the nation to provide that information. a lot of helpful information. live in the castro for abc7 news. >> interesting. new this morning, a blow do boeing. several airlines have grounded their boeing 787 dreamliner and are scrambling to arrange flights for passengers. europe, japan, equal -- qatar and india grounded the boeing 787 dreamliner after an emergency landing and evacuation of an ana dreamliner in japan on

tuesday. they have now canceled the boeing 787 dreamliner to san jose. united is the only u.s. carrier to fly the plane and the dreamliners will not fly to comply with the f.a.a. directive^. >> the district attorney in marin county may not have enough money to pay those who turned in the weapons during a four built buy back problem. people turned in 827 weapons on tuesday. officials handed out $70,000 of vouchers but they only have $43,000 to cover the buy back and another is set for monday. it is scheduled for 11 in the morning until 8:00 p.m. at san rafael and mill valley police departments but officials want not to expect to get any cash this time for turning in the gun. >> livermore police made an arrest in a homicide of a man whose body was found in a golf course. friends held a vigil for the 28-year-old robert austin found shot to death at the golf course fairway on december 29.

police arrested a 24-year-old man as a suspect. the investigators say the suspect was hiding in the city of springfield, oregon, after he shot and killed the man. he is held in jail awaiting extra diction. >> san francisco is the center of graffiti fighters around the world. there is an international conference at st. mary's cathedral hosted by the san francisco graffiti board to help with preventive ideas. the goal is to generate a world-wide network of cities and neighborhood groups do share ideas and cooperate on solutions to fighting graffiti. >> do you think the spray paint nozzles would be frozen over. >> if you hit your paint target it would peel right off because of the cold. >> when you step outside the house this morning, 28 in

novato. concord, fairfield, those are the coolest spots. 30 in napa. 32 in livermore. check out the 34's, fairfield and san jose. 44 in san francisco, and 43 in half moon bay. with that in mind, look at visibility in santa rosa, with temperatures in the 20's and half mile visibility that could create black ice on bridges and overpasses. be careful around santa rosa or wherever you see the fog. we have frost through 7:00. then well hit the mid-50's. nice lunch time hour. then the upper 50's through 4:00 again we have "spare the air" day and mid-to-upper 40's by 7:00. low-to-mid 60's friday, saturday, and sunday and each day could be "spare the air" day also. >> a nice day if you move from

hayward and 880 toward 92 and the san mateo bridge and flat section is moving nicely on the high-rise toward foster city and no delays and 13-minute drive between hayward and the san mateo side of things and a nice look at the bay bridge upper deck with traffic flowing nicely to treasure island and western portions of span is looking good, as well, and a nice drive to san francisco with no delays at the toll plaza moving westbound. and 80 moving into the macarthur maze westbound beyond university avenue, it is getting busy and crowded but in delays working toward the macarthur maze. still a good drive from the central valley and under 20 minutes from the altamont pass to dublin/pleasanton area and checking in with bart, muni and caltrain, as mike has been mentioning, it is a "spare the air" day and all mass transit is running on schedule so far this morning. kristen and eric? >> 5:10. san francisco could get a new area code.

why some phone users do not want to give up their 415. >> the 49er contest that could have you traveling to atlanta for the championship. for free. what you need to

give a couple beginners a great idea, and they won't be beginners for long. they'll go to where they can get the skills, the savings, and the supplies they need - to go from beginning... to doing... to beautifully done. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now this ashland vanity is a special buy at just two ninety-nine dollars. call (star star)thd to shop now. >> daly city, dublin, los gatos, and all the bay area this is abc7 news. >> good morning, everyone, at 5:13 on abc7 morning news on

thursday morning. looking live from the rooftop camera in h.d. toward the embarcardero and the office buildings, another crisp and clear and "spare the air" day with more on that in the forecast with mike and more on the morning commute. >> more news now, the state public utility commissions holds a hearing today on a plan to add 628 to the 415 area code. regulators say the 415 area code is running out of numbers. the change is drawing opposition, though. >> you tell people where you are from and you say 415, and everyone knows that is san francisco i love that. >> horrible. horrible. give it to marin. take the 415 back from then and give them 628. >> these people feel very attached to their area codes. regulators must decide whether to give the new customers area cold or reassign country customers based on geography. >> there is new data that shows

fewer u.s. homes have been repossessed according to the foreclosure listing firm repossessing 671,000 last year down 17 percent from the 804,000 the year before. they base this on number homes that received at least one foreclosuring filer by a lender. >> this morning, federal government regulators have rules to protect homeowners from thieves and poor service from companies that collect mortgage payments. there will be a requirement of clear monthly billing statements from the companies and they have to warn borrowers before raising interest rates. the bureau will also actively help homeowners avoid foreclosure part of an overall of mortgage rules. >> researchers at carney are out with apps that are the worst at taking personal information without letting you kow. one app on that list could surprise you, angry birds.

researchers analyzed 100 most popular apps and here the other nine: frost game, dictionary.com, mousetrap, horror scope, shazam, pandora interpret radio, and background wallpaper, and virtual pets. they say that the apps collect your location, information about your device, and your contact list. >> the san francisco 49ers are holding a road trip sweep states given to a fan for the game in atlanta on sunday welcomes two round trip tickets and a hotel. you can enter by using the link we have at abc7news.com no later than noon today.

>> san francisco mayor will not be at the game because he is at the conference of mayors in washington, dc. however, he has lucky red shirt and his 49ers hat and will track down the mayor of atlanta to make a bet. >> i don't know his schedule but i will make communications clear as i wear my 49er hat to any conference i have. we are on the way to the super bowl, one of the hungy years. you feel it. >> the mayor has been a long-term 49er fan so the only question remaining, what is the delicacy in atlanta that we should bet on or against? >> come on, come on. >> peaches. >> peaches. >> grits. >> grits? >> another cold morning, and grits sounds good. >> anything to keep you warm and stick to your body.

now, let's go outside, 5:17. someone is frozen in the control room. you can see the windfalling a little bit as we look down san francisco in the background and sausalito from mount tamien. live doppler 7 hd shows any radar runs and it is bone dry out there again but just enough moisture that the frost is forming inland. we are close at fremont and san jose with the 34's but we have los gatos at 32 and antioch is warmer spot at 38 and 44 in san francisco. monterey bay, we are in the upper 30's and 42 to salinas. through the forecast cycle, hazy sunshine, another "spare the air" day with no burning wood and clear tonight and frosty in our valleys again.

warmer highs all the way through sunday. so, from our warmest temperatures this weekend and 24-hour temperature change oakland hit 62 and concord hit veteran and san francisco at 58, two degrees warmer. fremont at 61. san jose jumped five degrees up to 62. everyone is going to be in the upper 50's to low 60's but for antioch and live more at 56 degrees. mid-to-upper 60's throughout monterey bay and let to upper 60's headed inland the tonight, 20's and 30's, again, forecast for you, and mid-30's to upper 30's an the bay shore. a couple of things to think headed to the beach with temperatures in the 60's, sneaker waves tell -- possible tonight and tomorrow and then saturday and sunday afternoon with strong rip currents and more sneak waves. temperatures taper next week but it looks dry and we are in the

50's by wednesday. >> if san jose we have an an injury accident with a vehicle off the road. there could be some emergency crews blocking a lane. eastbound 4, we have road closing left lane closed until 6:00 and westbound is jamming up out of antioch and under 20 minutes to 242. northbound 242 at willow pass to concord avenue we have road work until 6:00 this morning. there is a bart delay now, 10-to-15 minute delay at dublin/pleasanton, fremont, and richard directions because of equipment problems. san rafael, southbound, 101, beyond lucas valley road and marin ymca toward the civic center it is at the limit.

the golden gate bridge is looking good, as well. the bay bridge commute is looking good, too. >> 5:20. coming up, looking for a new tv, how about one so big you have to keep it outside? >> my guest today on "katie" is believe it or not one of the most successful rap artists on the planet and an actor, and entrepreneur, and he has more than 8 million twitter followers, and he is here to talk about how he is expanding his media empire. i am told the next venture will make me

>> welcome back at 5:23. america's largest retailer is promising to care more american merchandise adding $50 billion in american made goods the neck decade. critics charge them with carrying goods made overseas using cheap labor and the cries intensified after a fire in november in a factory that made clothes for walmart in bangladesh. they announced they will hire u.s. veteran who want as job one year of an honorable discharge. >> we have told you of the problems with boeing 787 dreamliner and now the grounding is hitting boeing in the pocketbook. >> good morning, boeing is a drag on the dow yesterday and it could happen again today as the new boeing 787 dreamliner towns into a nightmare because of safety concerns after the plane battery pack ignited mid-flight. the maker says the boeing 787 dreamliner could go beyond the component and could take months

to investigate. it is the first time the f.a.a. grounded an entire model in 34 years. >> new flu vaccine gets approval for people 18 to 49. it is made without growing the virus in chicken eggs and uses insect cells. >> boeing was a drag on the the dow but higher for s&p 500 and nasdaq. and smith and wes son is trading hire after talk of gun control boosts the sales. >> that is the bloomberg business report. >> it is chilly. is this a description? a good description? >> chilly? >> i thought maybe it is more than that. cold. >> it is frosty. chilly. biting. cold. all those things. >> mike has the forecast. >> if you can get your brain to work because it is so cold. we will look at snow pack in the

sierra. you can see we are doing pretty well as of this day. we need about double the amount of snow we have up this to be good for the rest of the year. we will look quickly at our live doppler 7 hd and you can see high pressure is dominating the state. as we move on the temperatures are getting knee record highs in the sierra and 49 at tahoe and 50 at yosemite and near 60 at central valley and warmer in los angeles and palm springs at mid-70's. >> we have an accident at san jose southbound the capital expressway right at 680 with a vehicle off the roadway with injuries involved and crews are showing up on the scene so expect delays as they clear that up. a bart delay, 10-to-15 minutes because of equipment problems in the dublin/pleasanton and richmond direction and bart was telling abc7 that it should be cleared up in the next 15 minutes or so and no other mass transit delays on a "spare the air" which is a great alternate for you and busy on the east

shore freeway moving it to the macarthur maze. eric? >> imagine watching "dancing with the stars" or the abc7 morning news on a tv so big you cannot fit it in your living room. take a look. this tv scene is nearly 17' across, the screen is made up of folded panels so be hidden around and is made up of more than 725,000 l.e.d.'s with sensors built in so you can fault use it without the owner's permission. take that, kids. it costs $660,000. the football you can watch on that! >> all right. you will be right in the middle of the action. >> a major developing regarding lance armstrong, the new embarrassment he faces this morning. >> and a sad hoax coming up, the story behind a star college football player and his dead

girlfriend who never

live from the kgo broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good morning, on this thursday. thank you for joining us. i am kristen sze. >> another cold start to the morning and also a "spare the air" day, right, mike? >> it; our fifth of the winter season. everyone is doing a good job because we have not exceeded health standards during the first four "spare the air" days. live doppler 7 hd shows how quiet it is outside. still under high pressure. still under sinking air. santa rosa is half a mile visibility and with the moisture in the area black ice is possible on bridges and

overpasses. mid-30's to upper 30's around the bay shore, to san francisco and half moon bay in the mid-40's. a lot of sunshine this afternoon, upper 50's to low 60's. >> capital expressway southbound at 680 emergency crews are tending to injuries there, and we have road work still eastbound dumbarton until 6:00 but not affecting westbound commute to the lanes picked up, and 10-to-15 minute delays with early equipment problems and that is cheer the next 15 minutes and no other mass transit delays and a new stall reported incline with brake lights westbound on the upper deck of the bay bridge and it is slowing moving toward treasure island and san francisco. eric? >> it is 5:30. we have developing news, boeing's flag ship airliner is grounded by federal order in the united states and around the world after a series of safety problems most recently an

emergency landing in japan. abc7 news reporter is live in san jose where travelers are feeling the impact. amy? >> the impact here is now spreading around the world. authorities in europe, qatar, india and japan follow the united states lead and decided to ground the airplanes. look at this video, this seems to be the incident that turned the tide an emergency landing in western japan on wednesday because of smoke in the cockpit. a problem, but not the first one, on planes. others have reported problems including fuel leaks, brake problems and cracked windshield. the f.a.a. overnight called for more inspections of the planes. the japanese airline, ana, voluntarily grounded the plane after the emergency landing so no flights from san jose to japan. so the brand new service has now been stopped here in the bay area here in silicon valley.

united airlines, though, is now telling abc7 news this morning, they will stop flying the 787 because of the f.a.a. order. united is the only airline in the united states flying the planes but no more. defenders of the dreamliner say it is a new plane, this is understandable there would be kings that need to be worked out and boeing says overall, the planes are safe. physical that is officially declared the dream liner is grounded. if you scheduled to fly out of san jose to japan, ana will put you on another plane out of san francisco. so, check with the airline before heading out. >> thank you. the associated press is reporting lance armstrong has been stripped of the bronze medal from the 2000 sydney games. a taped interview that the

cyclist it is expected to air and he will confess to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout the career. armstrong told the associated press he wanted viewers to judge for themselves about how candid he was. he was stripped of the seven tour de france titles and banned from the sport for life. this interview will air on oprah moves own network later today and tomorrow and "good morning america" will have more on the confession going at 7:00 a.m. >> two different safety agencies will look at the collision of a tanker "overseas raymar" which scraped a bumper on a tower. the bar pilot changed course at the last minute before passing under the bridge in fog near treasure island. this morning, the board of pilots commission will discuss the crash. later the san francisco marine exchange will look at fog safety rules. federal investigators say it could be months to determine the try cause of the crash. >> governor brown is at the uc board of regents meeting in san

francisco for a said day to discuss the budget and the impact on the system. he wants regents to keep further tuition or fee increases off the agenda saying university of california schools get plenty of financial help from taxpayers after voteers approved proposition 30. he wants more students accepted from the california community colleges. >> san francisco law banning public nudity goes into effect next month and is challenged today in federal court. a lawsuit filed by four nudists in november seeks an injunction based on constitutional rights. city attorney will argue on behalf of the ordinance at the u.s. district court in san francisco. the attorney arguing for the plaintiff wants it to apply to ought nudists not just the four that filed suit. >> notre dame officials could hold a news conference on the shocking story of the national college football star who claim

tons the victim of a terrible hoax. an investigation is underway whether manti te'o is the victim or mastermind. he gained national sympathy and attention when in september his grandmother died and on same day, so did his girlfriend, allegedly, of leukemia. now a when has uncovered that there was no such young woman. manti te'o says the relationship was online and claims he was duped by someone using stolen pictures of a woman who says she doesn't even know manti te'o. >> this was an elaborate, very sophisticateed hoax perpetrated for reasons we cannot physically understand but had a certain cruelty. >> notre dame says the investigation finds no evidence that manti te'o masterminded the hoax and is preparing for the nfl draft. it is urge clear whether this scandal will have an impact on

that. >> san jose police are turning to the public for help in minding a man who tried to snap a toddler from her mother's arm. the police released a sketch saying it is critical to get this man off the streets. the mom described what happened at her house were he kneeled down to talk to my three-year-old and he picked her up by her ankles and started pulling her from me. i could not get her away fast enough. her boots fell off and the pants were coming off because he pulled so hard. >> the mother asked abc7 not to use her name. neighbors did not hear or see anything out of the ordinary and some are talking to their own kids about what happened and what to do if they are approaching by a stranger. >> the public is warned of another brazen child abduction attempt, a man reaccept --

resembling this, grabbed the hand of a boy but the mother started yelling and the man let go. he was asian, and weighs about 200 pounds with a pot belly and recede hair line. >> a 17-year-old girl has been missing since last friday after leaving school. police believe she may have been headed to livermore. anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call police. >> oakland mayor quan is looking for federal aid while attending a national conference of mayors in washington, dc, and the inauguration of president obama on monday. she will meet with several law enforcement agencies to get federal help for the oakland police. mayor quan asks the brother to

extend assistance oakland has been getting from california highway proposal. the governor said that oakland has to find out what it wants. he says some want zero police. the leadership of the city has to show the way. >> on this "spare the air" thursday morning, is it cold enough? >> yes, i would like to be "spared." >> want to spare the cold air? maybe as we head into the weekend but we are still under this air mass for a while so we are on the fifth "spare the air" with the poor air quality, the possibility is spreading inland to the east bay valley and the coast and central bay so that includes san francisco all the way down to about the san mateo bridge. south of that to the santa clara valley the air quality should be okay. it is frosty in many areas inland this morning, but look at the sunshine, mid-50's by noon and upper 50's by 4:00, and we

will be back in the mid-to-upper 40's by the 7:00 hour. low-to-mid 60's with a lot sunshine, friday, saturday, and sunday. the entire week end is warmer than average. >> a problem on the bay bridge, with the stalled right lane you can see blinking emergency rights right here before treasure island and the pickup truck needs a flatbed tow so you can see brake lights on the incline. the toll plaza as you move toward the bay bridge, still very light here but you get beyond the metering lights to the incline you will find delays because of the stall and well follow that for you and westbound 80 coming from fairfield to the pay area you will find yourself with an accident and slowing with no further details from chp and bart has a 10 or 15-minute delay, in the richmond direction and dublin/pleasanton and fremont direction. eric and kristen? >> are you ready for mavericks?

the contest is set but do not plan on getting chess to the action because there is a big change with the surfing contest this year. >> where's the beef? hambu

>> daly city, dublin, los gatos and all the bay area, this is abc7 news.

>> welcome back to the traffic center. a live look at the bay bridge upper deck on the right-hand side of the scene the emergency lights, that is a stalled pickup truck. they are waiting for a flatbed tow truck to get that out of there. but in meantime brake lights behind the stall in the right lane before treasure island jamming up all the way on to the incline section. kristen? >> we will watch that closely. the oakland museum of california is releasing a picture of a rare artifact stolen last week. police say someone took off with the golden quartz box dating back to the california gold rush. some estimate it to be worth $800,000, and a $12,000 reward is being offered. you can call the tip line at 510-777-28905. >> oak police is released a sketch of kidnapping suspect who tried to kidnap a woman walking on east 12th street near a bart

station in december. she got away. oakland police ask you to call if you recognize this man. >> this morning a driver is recovering after a dramatic rescue in the eat -- east bay. a driver host control of the truck yesterday. witnesses say the truck lost the brakes on the road and slipped on its side and dumped a load of cut down trees. the crews tried to right the truck and the driver did not appear to suffer serious injuries. >> the san francisco giants are taking off for the big apple, and the trophies from the 2010 and 2012 world series began the tour in sacramento last week and made stops in richmond and vallejo this week. they are getting the red carpet treatment where the trophies will depart for new york city, and giants fans taking virgin america flight can take the

flight. >> the top surfers in the world hit the area on sunday at 8:00 a.m. and conditions have not been right the last two years to hold the contest this week a storm in japan superintendent -- giant swells to the pacific coast and it will make for a great day of surfing. >> and two dozen surf stars are headed to half moon bay this weekend. mike, they state waves will be anywhere over 30'? >> would like to see that. you will see it from further away because of safety concerns. >> hopefully we will not be fogged n. >> no, not at all, a lost sun shine, with temperatures in the 60's. but they will keep you away. the sneak are waves are big starting tomorrow and also on sunday andization rip -- and dangerous rip currents also.

not a great weekend to be walking on the beach near the water. they were saying after an issue where a dog went in and the owner went in after the owner and the dog got out but the owner did not, that happens all the time, usually the dog is okay. i thought it was interesting, just throwing that out at you. from the roof camera in san francisco it is clear. and live doppler 7 hd shows we are detecting dry air this morning and cloud-free conditions and nearly calm conditions. temperatures have not budged in the last few minutes. we are still frosty inland and frost around los gatos at 32 and frost at girl provide at -- gilroy at 31. today is "spare the air" so no burning of wood. clear tonight and frost in the valleys and the highs climb

through the week end. today, we are at 58 in san francisco, and redwood city 60, and san jose is 62, and oakland is 62, and 51 -- 61 at half moon bay. mid-to-upper 60's around monterey bay and 61 at morgan hill. tonight, the temperatures show 20's and 30's inland again, frost there, mid-to-upper 30's around the bay shore, and mid-40's around san francisco and half moon bay. we have a beach hazard report if tomorrow night through saturday because of the sneaker waves, the bigger waves will be starting saturday night through sunday at 4:00 with the swells possibly up to 20' so we want you to stay out of the water. the accweather seven-day outlook show low-to-mid 60's through sunday and cooler next week and it is still dry with the 50's on wednesday. have a great day. sioux?

>> back to the bay bridge? >> before treasure island, right here, you can see the emergency lights blinking waiting for a tow truck. it is a pickup truck. brake lights all the way back on the incline section and traffic is slowing when you get beyond the toll plaza. so far, no delays at the toll plaza as they wait for the stall to be removed from the upper deck. and lucas valley road we have reports of a stall partly blocking the left lane. i am not seeing it on the live shot and i am seeing traffic slowing nicely and it is not slowing. if you come from fairfield, westbound, we have reports of an accident and i am seeing slowing eastbound direction so we will get with chp to see if they have the correct location. still part of a delay for the next few minutes with part because -- with bart because of

equipment. >> and jimmy kimmel joked about fear of the flu and tattoos. >> a group of people are too paranoid to get a flu shot although half of those people have between 1 and 80 tattoos. they are saying i do not trust the doctors to tell me the flument is safe that could save my life and the lives of others but i trust the guy with a nose ring to inject me repeatedly with ink. jimmy kimmel follows abc7 news at 11 and after jimmy is "nightline." and ten millionburg decembers in ireland and britain are recalled this morning amid fears they could contain horse meat. the second largest producer of beaver -- beach burgers showed meat in stores had traces of

horse meat threatening to undermine the beef industry central to the rural economy of ireland. one burger tested was 33 percent horse meat. >> you heard jimmy joking about the flu season, though, really is in high gear and doctors are urging everyone to get a flu shop. why pregnant women concerned about the vaccine safety can breathe easier. >> and the body-hugging jeans with a twist, the denim that leaves you with a boost long after you have taken them off and silky

>> across the country, president obama's proposed ban on new assault weapons and high capacity clips has struck a nerve among those who make the laws and those who enforce them. recently, lawmakers in texas, wyoming, missouri, and tennessee have rushed to introduce legislation to preempt the president's proposal. sheriffs in oregon and kentucky are refusing to enforce any new gun laws but the power to defy federal law are limited and the rhetoric is simply political posturing. >> if you drink a popular juice to prevent health disease or treat prostate cancer, the federal trade commission says

you could waste your time ruling that there were deceptive ads over a juice that said they could reduce colds and low down the growth of prostate tumors and a law judge ruled similarly last year and the company is asking an appeal courts to reverse the fining. >> is there time? we have talked about house cold and frosty it has been, and the warm-up in the afternoon comes so late...after you have suffered in the morning, you get to freeze in the afternoon. >> that is how it works. coldest in the morning and warpest in -- warmest in 9 afternoon. it habit early cold for our standards. radar across the state shows how dry it is again. dry across the entire western third as the storms are pushed well into canada. that is why they are having arctic air slip in the midwest and upper midwest so it is

colder. temperature near 60 through the central valley and near records in the sierra at 50 and up to 70 in palm springs and los angeles. >> bay bridge is off to a rough start with a stall on the upper deck. you can see the emergency lights before treasure island, a stalled pick medium. they are waiting for a tow truck. the brake lights are all the way jammed on the incline section. look at the toll plaza, too, jammed here, too. metering lights have been turned on. bay bridge is a rough drive moving 80 westbound, that is still looking good, but it is sluggish but moving. bart is back on time so if you have to travel the bay bridge, maybe bart is the alternate. >> a new report says that the state of california is not doing enough to curb tobacco use, the american lung association has the report and california got high marks for protecting people

from second-hand smoke but the state gets an f for failing to raise cigarette taxes in the last dozen years. at least two bay area cities are doing well in the fight against smoking, the lunch association gave both san francisco and oakland b grades for their efforts. >> the flu spreads across the country, a study confirms important news for pregnant women. researchers have found that the flu shot is safe for mothers-to-be with no evidence that the vaccine increases the risk of losing a fetus. they say it could prevent some deaths of fetuses confirming what officials have been urging that pregnant women get the flu shot. the study is in the new england journal of medicine. >> if you have seen gloves or socks to make your skin softer, now there are spa denim jeans, with the legs feeler softer up to 15 days after you wear them the first time.

they run $140, of course, and are available online. >> we made you read that story to see you sweat. >> i am a professional. i do this for a living. >> coming up next at 6:00, yelp, then for reviews on businesses, right? now the website is expanding with new information users can now get. >> we are following breaking news with americans escaping from hostage takers in algeria but we are getting con

>> live from the kgo broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> almost made it to the end of the week because it is thursday, right? thanks for joining us. i am kristen sze. >> i am eric thomas. you could be frozen by the time

you reach the end of the week. mike has the forecast. >> good morning, everyone. live doppler 7 hd shows how dry and calm it is out there again. because it is so calm we are going to have poor air quality can has moved into the east bay and stays in the north bay and now in the central bay and coast. that means north of the san mateo bridge, and that is where we will have the poor air quality. south of there, we will be fine. we have fog an the bay but it is limited more than yesterday. it is getting mild with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50's through 4:00. inland there is a lot of fog here and the poorest air quality. headed to the beaches this is as calm as they get today and will be rough this weekend with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50's. >> a hot spot this morning, the bay bridge with a stall on the upper deck before treasure